The new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak is Ducati’s adventure model tuned for sport riding and track days. With the 170 horsepower V4 Granturismo engine, Ducati has adjusted the chassis geometry to work with a 17″ front wheel and sport-bike rubber.
With all of the electronic wizardry you would expect from a current Ducati sport bike, the new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak should be a popular model among those with the bank account to make it an option.
Here is the press release from Ducati:
- The new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak, featuring a new MotoGP-inspired livery, is the sportiest Multistrada ever
- Precise, intuitive, effective yet powerful: the V4 Pikes Peak is powered by the 170hp V4 Granturismo engine and is ready and willing to rule all mountains
- The Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak has been developed to take the sporty qualities of the Borgo Panigale dual bike to the extreme: dedicated riding position, 17” front wheel with sports road tyres, single-sided swingarm, Öhlins suspension and brand-new Race Riding Mode
Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 28 October 2021 – The third episode of the Ducati World Première 2022 was dedicated to the online reveal of the new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak (link to the video-presentation here), namely the model that best represents, since its debut in the range, the true essence of sportiness within the Ducati dual bikes family. The Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak takes centre-stage for a public of passionate enthusiasts not only as the sportiest Multistrada ever but also as the most powerful model in the whole crossover segment.
The Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak takes life around the excellent Multistrada V4 platform : where performance, smoothness of operation and reliability offered by the V4 Granturismo engine, together with the contained weight, the ease of handling, the comfort for rider and passenger alike, state-of-the-art equipment and electronics are part of the cornerstones of the Multistrada V4 family. Starting from these solid foundations, the new V4 Pikes Peak was developed by introducing significant changes in terms of chassis set-up, premium ergonomics, electronic controls as well as numerous dedicated components, which give the bike a distinctly sportier attitude compared to the Multistrada V4. Ducati, once again, promises to delight a wide range of riders looking for the purest performance within the dual bikes universe.
The design work behind this new project develops starting from the peculiar elements of the Multistrada V4 family, integrating them with the two elements that mainly identify this Pikes Peak version from an aesthetic and functional perspective, namely the 17” front wheel and the single-sided swingarm. The racing soul of the bike is intensified by the dedicated “Pikes Peak” livery, faithfully inspired both in colours and graphics by that of the Desmosedici GP ’21; even the number plates on both sides of the fuel tank contribute to highlight the deep link with the world of competitions.
With the aim to further emphasise its sporty-oriented attitude the new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak comes with a wide range of components made of carbon fibre in addition to the Akrapovič titanium and carbon silencer (road-approved). Others distinctive aesthetic elements are the low smoked plexi, Öhlins front fork anodised gold legs, two-tone Black and Red rear saddle embellished with the V4 logo and the Ducati Corse badge applied to the “beak”.
The chassis compartment of the new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak is part of the revolution. With the respect to the Multistrada V4, it has in fact been significantly revised. First and foremost, it has been developed around the 17” front wheel, which ensures the rider great precision and responsiveness. The new machine is fitted with sports road tyres (sizes: 120/70 front; 190/55-17 rear) and mounts Marchesini forged aluminum rims, 2.7 kg lighter than those of the Multistrada V4 S, which make the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle therefore more effective and contribute to the reduction of the total weight amount of 4 kg compared to the Multistrada V4 S. Additionally, Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 suspension also guarantees brilliant performance in sports riding, through the use of an “event based” mode, the same adopted by the Panigale V4 S and the Streetfighter V4 S, which automatically adjusts the setting according to the user’s riding style.
The aluminum monocoque frame has been refreshed with the precise objective of achieving a different inclination of the steering head (25.75° compared to the 24.5° of the Multistrada V4), not to mention that trail and wheelbase geometry have been recalibrated according to the different uses of the motorcycle.
The braking system of the new V4 Pikes Peak is at the top of the segment and derives directly from that of the Panigale V4. At the front, the system includes 330 mm diameter discs and Brembo Stylema monobloc calipers, like the Multistrada V4 S, to which are added the pads of the Panigale V4. At the rear, the system features a single 265 mm diameter disc with a Brembo floating caliper.
The new Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak stands out even for its dedicated ergonomics, specifically designed to ensure maximum control and optimise lean angles. With respect to the Multistrada V4 the riding position has been completely refreshed: the footpegs, for example, are higher and moved back to increase the maximum lean angle, while the handlebar is lower, narrower and has contained curved bars. The final result is that the rider benefits of an even better feeling in sporty riding while maintaining an excellent level of comfort.
The new Ducati Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak is powered by the most powerful engine within the category, the admired V4 Granturismo, achieving 170 hp with a maximum torque of 125 Nm at 8,750 rpm. This engine, specifically designed by Ducati for the Multistrada V4 family, results extremely lightweight – 66.7 kg only – and compact. Thanks to these features Ducati engineers create an uncompromised equilibrium with perfect mass centralization. With a displacement of 1160 cc, the V4 Granturismo engine ensures top-of-the-segment power and torque levels. In addition, the V4 Granturismo represents also a reference in terms of versatility and reliability, featuring a record-breaking maintenance intervals, with valve play checks scheduled every 60,000 km.
The V4 Granturismo engine has been optimised to intensify the characteristics of the bike and features some innovations. Among these, the introduction of the Race Riding Mode , which represents a first for Multistrada models. The Race option is added to a more racing strategy for the limiter, which intervenes more gradually than in the Multistrada V4, in order to alert the biker in advance and allow him a more effective sporty drive in terms of gear changes within the high area of the rev counter. The quickshifter also has a dedicated strategy that allows extremely aggressive downshifts, as well as the implementation of an even more direct throttle response in High Power Mode.
The Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak inherits the latest generation and sophisticated electronic package of the Multistrada V4 S, which includes, among others, the as-standard radar technology both at the front and at the rear, which offers Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Blind Spot Detection (BSD) functionality.
The 6.5” TFT dashboard, also available as standard on the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak, allows the user to view the map navigator thanks to the advanced Ducati Connect system, which allows to mirror the rider’s smartphone.
Electronics innovations are, also in this case, aimed at obtaining a better sporty driving experience. In addition to the introduction of the Race Riding Mode, Ducati Wheelie Control on the Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak has an updated strategy that offers an even better response and a more accurate control during dynamic riding. ABS Cornering has also been configured to be safe and performing in whatever riding situation, even in the sportiest.
The Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak is a technologically advanced motorcycle, designed for those who love the thrill of sporty riding, especially on mountainous twisties or between the kerbs of a race track.
The bike will be available at the Ducati dealers network starting at December 2021 in the Radar trim, which is fitted with both front and rear radar system.
In Europe, Ducati offers the customers the “4Ever Multistrada”, the 4-year exclusive warranty available for all Multistrada models. It has unlimited mileage and is guaranteed by the entire Ducati dealer network.
Ducati Performance catalogue features a wide range of accessories to enhance the characteristics of the bike and make it a unique gem.
The dynamic video-presentation of the new Ducati Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak is available on the Ducati YouTube channel.
60,000KM valve adj intervals sold me. 🙂 My first DUCK was 6,000KM. I like it and don’t find it expensive at all. You get what you pay for. The sound alone gives me a Stiffy.:)
I think the “beak” that so many people are complaining about is some sort of vestigial supermoto fender. Sort of a carryover from the Hypermotard/strada. It doesn’t bother me. But I do race the occasional supermoto, my Sur-Ron is currently set up that way, I have two other supermotos, a Hypermotard, and a 2004 Multistrada. All have 17 inch wheels because that’s what a proper street bike uses. I think it is unfortunate that one must pay extra for a bike commemorating a dead race to get a Multistrada with proper wheels.
I know that today’s street bikes are supposed to be all togged out in Jeep drag. But I never grew the bone in my head that made me think I want to ride a street bike off road, or at least try to make other people think that I do. I have dirt bikes. When I ride off road, I do so on a genuine dirt bike. One with a two stroke engine, knobby tires and about half the weight of an ever fattening street bike.
Fashion is making the world a ridiculous place. The people who aren’t dressing up like pirate cowboys to stand next to their cruiser at a bar are dressing up like rally racers to stand next to their ADV at a coffee shop. Spare me all that garbage.
Fashion is driven by people of unqualified character or credibility, assuming and displaying an ‘ image ‘.
In our area of interest, consider SUVs that will never see off road dirt, full shiny leathers shopping in an Italian bike shop for do dads on a Honda 350, guys with ear rings and pirate bandanas, gals with tattoos and torn tight pants, 4 wheel drive trucks with huge flags fluttering from the bed, Draft dodger hair stylists making Rambo movies, student pilots with huge airline flight bags, etc, etc.
Love fashion, it’s silly people that suck.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter how good it is (I still think a track-oriented “adventure” bike with a 17″ front wheel is an oxymoron, though), the chances I will own one of these unless I win the lottery is pretty much nil. Just too rich for my blood.
The front with headlight eyes flat out looks like a bird, a cardinal or woodpecker. So weird, and the engine looks like they’re styling it as a “sleeper”, not dressed to impress. Next contestant in the styling exercise, please! That said I’d love to give it a few test miles in the gaps!
I bet that thing rips up back roads fast
i would get in trouble with it, one way or another
Not at 500 pounds! It’s probably a handful. I think you meant to say that it probably accelerates hard out of slow corners and brakes really hard into the next one. That’s not the fast way through back roads.
If a 400-450lb (virtually all premium sport bikes) is fast, then a 500lb (many very good sport bikes) bikes isn’t slow. 500lbs is not very heavy by high-performance street bike standards.
Well, I doubt it’s very quick through tight backroads. This thing is around 170 pounds more than my bike and is that much more difficult to muscle through the turns. I don’t think all the power in the world will make something handle better.
It takes a pretty technical back road to give a smaller horsepower bike an advantage over a larger horsepower bike with the same rider on board. Im not sure how many people have those technical roads at their immediate disposal.
Once before you said a good rider on a smaller hp bike could out ride a mediocre rider on a higher hp bike (not verbatim) and that is true, the difference being the rider, but put two equal riders on the same road one on a high hp bike and one on a lower hp bike, unless the road is so technical and tight that the rider cant use the extra hp, he is going to win every time. On the back roads where I live in the midwest, there are no roads technical enough to give the advantage to a low hp bike.
Think about MotoGP on Sunday and tell me which tracks the Moto 2 or Moto 3 guys with their lighter and lower hp bikes lap quicker than the Premier class riders with their heavier higher hp bikes
I guess it depends on how tight your roads are. You’re either riding a dirt bike or a KTM single to be that light. Fun bikes on really tight roads, but not as good for a lot of the rides this is for.
At the risk of repeating myself, I owned a 2002 FZ1 (about 500lbs with tank full). It was easily the best handling pure street bike I ever owned. And at almost 50 years of riding that’s a lot of bikes!
I put really good suspension on it (pretty stiffly sprung to aid ground clearance), pitched it forward from a ride height/chassis perspective and wide upright bars.
That thing would literally turn before I thought about it. I would regularly run around the Ricky Racers on Palomar on the front side (very tight) while they were muscling there bikes with knee on the ground. More than once, they would ask what the hell I did to that bike to get it to handle that way.
Yes, 500lbs is no light weight, but better be careful if you see an experienced rider on a well set up “sport-tourer” blast by you on your sport bike. Best not ride over your head to try and keep up.
these big adv bikes are way ez to get around tight roads with the wide bars and dirt bike ergos, throw in top shelf suspension and big tractable v4 power and this thing will rip
I guess you’d have to define “tight”. These big ADV bikes haul the mail on public roads. I easily ride mine faster, in more comfort, for WAY longer than I’d ride any sport bike. Of course there are situations where a supermoto would be quicker, but it’d have to be TIGHT.
If anyone can’t “muscle” a 500-pound bike like this through curvy roads, then you better get to the gym, eat your Wheaties, and take some Geritol.
This style of bike is way easier to hustle than people think. If you’re comparing it to a lighter sport bike with conventional sporty ergos, the riding position and wide bars on a fast ADV easily compensate for the extra weight at street speeds. I easily ride my big ADV as fast, or faster, in comfort, and for MUCH longer, than I’d ride a “pure” sport bike on the street.
“I easily ride my big ADV as fast, or faster, in comfort, and for MUCH longer, than I’d ride a “pure” sport bike on the street.”
This is probably the main reason big ADV’s are outselling pure sport bikes by a large margin. I’ve always lusted after pure sport bikes but never got closer than a Suzuki Bandit, which had power without the pain. I could ride that thing for hours in comfort.
ADV riders would have a hard time going back to a sport bike on the street as modern ADV’s have the power that only pure sport bikes used to have. I still prefer the look of a sport bike over any ADV, but old age demands a more sensible approach to riding.
You would be pleasantly surprised how much faster and easier a < 350 lb supermoto is to ride through tight backroads. One I’m thinking of now near my house has a segment with 150 turns in 9 miles. There’s another 15 mile segment on that loop that is even tighter but I haven’t counted the turns yet.
Ok so maybe it’s no the absolute best for 24 miles of road someplace in California.
Deals Gap in Georgia (?) maybe?
Ok… so add another 11 miles, but it would be great for the Cherohala Skyway etc
Whichever is correct Mickey, CA or GA, I would still love to ride this bike on either super-tight road. Think of what a blast it would be. If us old guys can heave a bike like this around, I think the younger guys could too.
I’d certainly pick it over a 350lb super moto as an only bike. But if I had the budget I had years ago, I wouldn’t have to make that decision, I would just get multiple bikes (had seven bikes at once back then and the wife was not happy)
Motoman, the Dragon is in North Carolina and Tennessee. Have ridden it dozens of times. It’s not particularly technical, a little bit more than your average road, but it’s danger lies in the sheer numbers of cars and motorcyclists on that 11 mile stretch at any given time, particularly weekends, often ridden/driven at too high of a rate of speed by the inexperienced.
Yeah I get the weekend thing mickey. Before they lowered the speed limit on Palomar Mountain and patrolled more heavily, my riding buddies and I chose Monday as the day to go just to avoid the weekend traffic and newbies. Once on a Saturday, my wife almost was taken out by a guy who overshot a corner in the opposite direction we were riding. She avoided it with her skills and the dude crashed and was going so slow he didn’t make it to the dirt. His bike ended up in the middle of our lane! Classic target fixation crash. If you think your going to fast into a corner… Look through corner where you want to go, lean the bike over farther than you think you can and roll on the throttle smoothly. Even if you do crash, a low-side is better than running off the road or into oncoming traffic.
Ok, I’m just going to say this: this is getting boring. Same bike as before but with this and that added or taken away.
Um, isn’t that elephant kind of stinking up the place?
Aren’t Hypermotards about a hundred pounds lighter and doesn’t that sort of point to the fact the the factories only used this race to pimp spacific models?
Oh wait! The class doesn’t exist anymore. The money must have dried up.
In Minnesota there was a sad joke about the Herschel Walker trade. The Minnesota Vikings traded their future on the guy and, well, got a crappy future. In the next year or so Minnesota, that’s right, Minnesota lost its hockey team to the same state that sold them Herschel Walker. To, you know, that traditional hockey super power. The frozen state of Texas. Yeah… a proud moment for Minnesotans.
And so here we are. An Italian manufacturer is honoring the memory of a day they won Pikes Peak with a sort touring bike because everyone else’s money was tied up in VoldemortGP.
RIP AMA Superbike. Rip Pikes Peak. What more will the evil wizard take from us? You know, other than the sport of motocross.
Look at the bright side. By the time you die, you’ll have nothing to care about anyway.
Thanks Mick. I always feel so inspired to have a positive outlook on life after reading your posts….. 😉
This is a brilliant post.
The Sierra Club neutered the PP hill climb.
Stone the bloody crows.
As was yours TimC.
Another example of your selfless “one for all, all for me” motto.
Unless it was another sarcastic comment (which I always seem to miss with you), then never mind.
The Sierra Club had nothing to do with motorcycles getting axed from Pikes Peak. This happened because organizers decided that the race is too dangerous for motorcycles.
Well suited for track. One must have a full time mechanic. No never mind. One needs a company sponsorship to buy/ride this dream bike.
A totally serious question: What is the form/function/purpose for a beak on a bike such as this? If it is just a decorative protuberance, how can such a characteristic so dominate the design dogma of most of the major mfg’s designs, where ‘form follows function’ is a religion? Especially since it has such universal repugnance. No flames, I’m seriously asking.
At this point for companies like Ducati and KTM it might be brand identification
Why are car companies only producing “Crossovers” when enthusiastic drivers want manuals in coupes and sporty hatchbacks? They are just following the trend. There is absolutely zero reason other than to suggest the bike is currently “relevant” and to shame you into buying The Next Thing once it’s out of vogue.
Because there are a lot more soccer moms that appreciate comfortable utility than there are enthusiastic drivers who want manuals in coupes and sporty hatchbacks?
Young people don’t want to drive at all, much less drive a stick.
According to Honda 53% of MOTORCYCLISTS opt for the DCT if given a choice. I recently bought one…they are pretty nice. Considering one for my next bike too if I get that new NT 1100.
BTW up and down quick shifters are basically automatics since you no longer need to use the clutch other than starting and stopping and that’s the latest rage in sport bikes too.
Its all about sales
mickey, you have that DCT statistic skewed. According to Honda, 53% of their customers opt for the DCT on those models that offer DCT.
That’s hardly the same as saying “motorcyclists,” in total.
Honda doesn’t offer the DCT on all their models. Besides the Africa Twin, all their other models that offer DCT are on the decidedly sedate end of the motorcycling spectrum. It’s offered on bikes like the Gold Wing and the NX 750. The take rate for the DCT on a CBR would be approximately zero.
Horses for courses.
Also, the take rate for manual transmissions in cars is artificially low, by design. When a customer walks onto a Subaru lot and discovers that the only manual offered is on the strippy model of the Impreza, the BRZ, and one of the WRX STi variants, he’s left with no choice but to buy a CVT-equipped dogsled, if he wants a Subaru.
Does he want a CVT?
No, he doesn’t, but it’s the only choice he’s given in the vehicle that he wants. He might want a Forester with a manual in something other than a base trim, but Subaru won’t give him that option.
It’s that way everywhere, across all brands.
VLJ I think you misunderstood what I was saying, maybe I said it wrong, but yes of the models that Honda makes with DCT 53% of buyers choose the DCT and they are indeed motorcyclists (not auto enthusiasts). If Honda made all their models in DCT what do you think the numbers would be?
My guess is the majority of all Honda motorcycles sold would be DCTs. More and more riders are choosing that option every year.
The reason car makers dont make manual shifts is very few people want to deal with manual shifting anymore. The ones that do have options that are still sold like Mazda Miata (my brother has one too)
mickey, the problem is people choose automatics because they are forced to choose automatics. Unless you want a sports car, we are nearly at the point now in which you must get an automatic, because that’s all that’s available in any non-sports car.
Manufacturers love to justify the dropping of manual trannies from their lineup with the explanation that, “Only six perfect of our customers bought the manual.”
Well, yeah, because you only offered the manual in the brochure, not in reality, and even then it was only on the strippy trim that your dealers never order.
Offer the manual option across all trim lines on all applicable models, invest in R&D for them as you do for your auto trannies, make sure the dealer keeps plenty of manuals in stock, and that six percent likely rises to twenty percent for some models, and upwards of fifty percent for others.
I’m not talking Cadillac Escalades or Chrysler minivans, obviously. I’m talking Corolla, Civic, Sentra, Elantra, Tacoma, Ranger, Rav4, CX-5, Forester, etc. If it could mean not having to buy a CVT, an awful lot of people would opt for the manual if they could get one in a normal trim package with the “good” motor.
As for motorcycles, again, with the glaring exception of the Africa Twin, the only people who choose the DCT are people riding sedate motorcycles: Gold Wing, NX 750, CX500, Rebel 1100, etc. Oh, and scooters. On these bikes, which aren’t ridden for excitement, sure, automatics make sense.
Good luck seeing an automatic on any Ducati or Triumph, or on any sporty anything. You may see Harley gradually transition to it, since their ridership skews to the extremely elderly, and BMW may look to move in that direction on their touring models, simply because they always try to be at the forefront of advanced technologies in their vehicles.
It will be a long time, however, before we ever see an automatic on one of their sportbikes.
To answer your specific question, what do I think the number would be if Honda offered autos on all their bikes?
A bit less than the current 53%, since you would then have to include the sportbikes, and a whole lot less than 53% if you include their full lineup of dirtbikes.
Otherwise, DCTs for the streetbikes and conventional automatics for the scooters make sense for a company like Honda, which offers scant few performance-oriented motorcycles.
VLJ I’m pretty sure you are old enough to remember that at one time almost ALL cars came in manual shift (3 speed on the tree) and you had to pay extra for an automatic trans. Even after they went to 54 speeds manuals, automatics were add on cost options.
Over the years almost everyone bought automatics so the manufacturers just quit producing sticks or you had to pay extra for a stick. Nobody wants to drive a 4 door sedan with a stick. So the only cars to get sticks are the sports cars, cause only people with sporting intentions or natures WANT to shift.
Tell me the difference between a DCT equipped Honda with a manual mode and paddle shifters vs any sport bike with an up and down quick shifter. The sport bike rider has to use the clutch on take off and stops, otherwise the clutch is not needed.
Both the DCT and the quick shifter equipped sport bike can be shifted up or down under full throttle. The difference is…the sport bike rider uses his left foot, the DCT rider uses his left thumb and forefinger. Oh btw the thumb shift is faster and smoother. It’s why DCT are not allowed in MotoGP
I started buying automatics simply because the types of vehicles I wanted got to the point where automatics were the only transmissions offered. That got to that point because that is what most buyers wanted in those types of vehicles.
There was a time when automatics were pretty bad. Not so much anymore. I don’t miss having a manual in my fullsize pickup or big luxury sedan. In fact, I wouldn’t even want a manual anymore for a vehicle that I mostly used for commuting or just getting around, motorcycles included.
4 speed on the floor manuals
sport bike riders WANT to shift because they have sporting intentions/natures…like drivers of sports cars, who also want to shift.
nobody else wants to shift.
Heh. Once I was forced to sell my MX-5, I replaced it with a four-sedan with a manual tranny. It’s not a sports car, or even a sports sedan.
Why the manual?
Simpler. More reliable. Cheaper to repair. No CVT drone. Way more engaging.
I would say you are an outlier VLJ and not the normal car buyer.
Today I rode my manual clucth Honda and tried to think what the differences would be. Lines were the same, tip in points, apexes, exit points the upshift and down shift points would be the same on my DCT in manual mode had I been riding it. No difference in the riding experience, other than my manual clutch model having more power and torque than my DCT model, which may be remedied in the spring. We’ll see.
Stop by my son’s FIL who just bought a new 5 liter Mustang Convertible. I asked him if he bought the stick version. He said no, but that the stick was standard and he had to pay extra for the 10 speed automatic.
My wife just ordered the same car only with the 2.9 liter turbo and auto trans. She’s not as sporty as Jimmy and didn’t want/need the extra power, although neither of them felt like shifting anymore.
That’s just an American thing. Americans have grown very lazy, in all respects. It’s now at the point where Americans can’t even be bothered to row their own gears, largely because it might interfere with their coffee drinking, makeup applying, and social networking.
Manuals are not outliers in much of the rest of the world, and one doesn’t need to drive a sports car to prefer a manual. They’re simply more fun and engaging, plus they’re simpler and cheaper.
Looks like things are changing in Europe as well
https://fordauthority.com/2020/07/automatic-transmissions-gaining-in-popularity-in-europe/
As the article stated, automatics are still in the minority there, and did you notice the reason they gave for why the autos are gaining in popularity?
More applicable for Active Lazy features such as self-parking, stop-and-go-driving, stop-start engine shutoff, adaptive cruise control, etc.
Yes, automatics are better than manuals if you prefer to let electronic gizmos drive your car for you.
The Lazy Americanization of Europe continues apace….
whatever the reasons are, they are why it’s easier to buy an automatic, than a stick shift. Manufacturers make what they can sell.
When things go all electric in another 25 years, there will most likely be ZERO manual shifts available
Hate to burst your bubble but the enthusiast/manual market is appropriately served by the volume of manual equipped cars in the market. They’re producing crossovers (hatchbacks) because that’s what’s selling, whether they’re sensible cars or not.
You need to re-read what Todd said. You’re both saying the same thing.
I believe the beak started with the BMW R850 GS extended fender. Some pure dirt bikes before that had a similar extended fender.
In those days, might of helped with front tire slop thoss when wheel was turned left or right. Just a guess.
Any thing in front of the axle will look unsightly on a good day, and pitifully stupid at night.
No, Reggie, I think the first production bike with a gratuitous beak/snout, put there for purely stylistic reasons and serving no purpose, was the 1981 Suzuki Katana. I remember it vividly – it was panned universally as stupid looking. I remember thinking it looked like a plague doctor mask. It looks sedate and understated compared to the abortions being marketed now.
No, Reggie, I think the first production bike with a gratuitous beak/snout, put there for purely stylistic reasons and serving no purpose, was the 1981 Suzuki Katana. I remember it vividly – it was panned universally as stupid looking. I remember thinking it looked like a plague doctor mask. It looks sedate and understated compared to the abortions being marketed now.
That is sure a sweet bike! I had to go elsewhere to find the price. It’s got power, range, no funky tire sizes, gadgets for the geeks, a little sport to the riding position. Just in time to never see it race on the Peak. If it has a bag option, I might have to break the piggybank.
Aren’t those mounting brackets for luggage under the passenger seat?
I sure hope so. I hope they don’t come out with a model specific tiny set of bags.
This bike and comments got me thinking: where is the market going? It seems older and wealthier bikers are dropping $15-$30K on new motorcycles, while fewer young people are riding. Why is biking becoming a niche hobby for the rich? I would wager that rural children have more access to a minibike or dirt bike than do their metro cousins. The number of rural children is essentially flat over the last hundred years*, while metro children population keeps increasing. Metro families must be relatively wealthy to get both a bike and drive to a place where they can ride it. Sad, but true. I’ve got to really spend to get my grandkids onto bikes. Anyway to reverse this trend? Motorcycle companies should build dirt and paved track parks within or near every metro area. Absent that, focus more on the wealthy.
* https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2016/comm/acs-rural-urban.html
This rural-to-urban population trend has been occurring for he past 150 years, and it isn’t going to let up. Plus, what were once distinctively rural areas are being overtaken by urban influences.
The county I live in was once a dirt riders’ haven with plenty of open spaces to “just go riding”. About twenty years ago this was specifically outlawed, even on your own private property unless it was a legally permitted site for this activity, i.e. already existing track facilities (grandfathered).
Sure, there are $30K bikes, but there are cheaper ones as well. Honda’s NT1100 will be about half the price of the Ducati, and there are plenty of even cheaper, smaller bikes. We’re living at a great moment in time, when there are just tons of awesome bikes across all price ranges.
Also, part of the increase in pricing you’re seeing is just inflation. A dollar isn’t worth as much as it was, say, 20 years ago, so prices will inevitably increase. A $15K bike these days is like a sub-$10K bike from 15-20 years ago.
On the other hand, when eMinibikes and eMotocrossers become abundant then cities may allow dirt bike tracks to exist, just as skate parks and ball fields do! Kids will be riding again.
I can tell you what I see in my State, A large increase of newer riders on Mid-level bikes Yamaha MT09, Gsx-s 750-1000 Many Ducati Scramblers, Triumph Most Honda Yam Suz and Kawasaki dealers sold out the first few weeks of Spring in 2021 and have deposits for 2022 for a sell-out. Used bikes are going for a Premium. Now the High-end Ducati, BMW, Triumph Rarely do I see one, and if we do it’s usually parked on a Sunny Day in the parking lot at the Tail of the Dragon Inn. I live in a state that you can ride year-round well maybe ten months of the twelve if you do not like the Cold for Jan & Feb and were two and a half hours away from the Best riding roads in SC,NC,Ten !
The three Harley dealers sell out everything they put on the floor, for example, a used very clean 2004 V-Rod with 18 thouasand Miles on the Odo Sold yesterday for 7999.00
Really Think Motorcycling is making a comeback here!
I’ve been under the apparently false impression that motorcycling in the U.S. is a dying sport. This article, which I happened across by accident, claims otherwise:
http://www.city-data.com/blog/4956-motorcycle-industry-united-states/
So I did a quick Google search and confirmed that the number of registrations in the U.S. approximately doubled in the last couple of decades (I think it cited 2002 to 2018). Was I alone in the misconception that the industry was shrinking? It seems that I used to see many more bikes on the road in the 1970’s and 80’s than I do today. Anyone have good historical information?
The article you link to cites figures through 2006, a time when no one was under the impression that motorcycling was dying.
If you were to look at the underlying data behind your Google search you mentioned, you’d see that, yes, there are many more motorcycle registrations today (or in 2018) than there were in 2002. But what you’d also see is that motorcycle registrations in the US have been flat for the past decade while auto registrations steadily increased over that same period.
Also not mentioned in the data is the ever increasing average age of motorcycle owners – it is an industry that has a huge number of users on the cusp of literally “aging out” of riding – and the failure of the industry to replace those riders from other demographics (namely women and millennials.)
The data is encouraging, though it misses the collapse of the industry in ‘08 after the recession when volumes dropped by half and are only now recovering in 2020 which enjoyed a HUGE surge from ~480k to 780k units. We’re still down from the 1m annually that occurred before the collapse.
I know way too many people that own at least one motorcycle but almost refuse to ever ride it.
Motorcycle owners… not motorcycle riders
I found a loophole for my city-bound grandchildren to get them addicted to motorcycles: eBikes with a twist throttle. Hear me out. Buy a fat-tire bicycle of their size. Bolt on an eMotor kit, battery and throttle. Set the speed limit to 28 mph, because that’s the eBicycle speed limit and the cops won’t won’t bother you up to 28mph. (I suspect cops won’t even know, so I’m juicing mine up to about35- 40 mph, to make sure they’re addicted.) Three grandsons, three quiet little racers ripping around on the streets, trails and backyards, just like I grew up 50 years ago in rural Minnesota. Gonna be a good Christmas!
Why would anyone care how often I ride my bike or make stupid assumptions about my being a motorcycle owner rather than a rider? I’ve ridden my bike all over the US and Canada including Alaska. In my younger years when I used to live in Chicago I’d ride whenever there wasn’t snow or ice on the roads, sometimes in single digit temperatures. Now that I’m in my mid sixties and have undergone a decade of cancer treatments I only ride if it’s over 60 degrees and sunny with little chance of rain. So sick of people being critical of others for stupid reasons. Maybe my bikes parked cuz I’m out fishing or golfing. My bike, my life, if I ride 20k a year or 2k a year nobody’s business except mine…
Re: metro kids and dirtbikes, see “12 O’clock Boys”…
With juiced up fat-tire ebikes kids could legally become “12 O’Clock Boys.” Great movie. Thanks.
I don’t understand all the hoopla about a 17″ front wheel. My 2014 PP Multi has a 17″ front wheel and so did my 2011 Multi. I also don’t understand all the jabs about pricing. I would never plop down $29K for a new motorcycle (I typically buy gently used) but I have seen plenty of other bikes in that price range from HD, Indian, Honda, BMW, etc.
I don’t think this version looks as good as past Pikes Peak models probably due to the engine covering. I wonder if that is a noise/emissions test thing? I also don’t like that odd two-tone seat.
The beak’s still there but the haters can’t complain about valve clearance check intervals anymore. That said, I’d hate to have to pay the bill for that service when it finally comes due given the lack of access to the engine!
The big deal is that this is the first new-generation, V4 Multistrada with a 17″ wheel. Your 2011 and 2014 are previous-generation bikes that have a 2-cylinder engine.
Is the engine that much more covered than the previous-generation Multistrada? It seems pretty similar. The thing that looks bad to me are the shark-gill-like slats on the side of the bike, but I expect those are necessary to direct hot air away from the rider. That 1200cc V4 engine runs pretty hot, I’m sure.
Be upsetting-to put it mildly-if you had just bought a V4S and assumed you had the top model at least for a while…
not really. v4s a dual sport this more a sport bike
beyond this the PP looks a bit boy racer and the v4s more traveler
i like the v4s, except the front does seem a bit detached almost too lite dropping into a corner and maybe the 17 would be more connected to the road, again though it’s meant as a dual sport
Tough way to live a life.
Things improve when you do a rhinectomy though still pretty ugly:
https://www.advaddicts.com/blogs/news/27486147-adventuring-naked-the-ducati-stradafighter-1200-by-adv-addicts
The bike wouldn’t look THAT bad if they would stop this nonsense with the “Fairing” if you can even call it that. The “fairing” and how it flows down to cover the engine is just flat appalling. Show the damn engine and stop it with the MAD-MAX aesthetics!
Ducatis used to be cool AF. Elemental. Raw. Unapologetic. Beautiful, both aesthetically and in their mechanical purity. Now they’re so deeply gizmo’d out and over-engineered that they’ve lost nearly all of their previous Italian charm.
~sigh~
I’d guess that’s Audi’s influence.
1st gen multi was anything but beautiful
It’s just plain ugly or stupid looking, maybe both, plus you can’t race motorcycles on Pikes Peak any more so not even the name ages well.
Sorry, thumbs down.
At one point Ducati had perfectly-balanced styling NAILED. And even occasional somewhat-odd and/or worked-at-the-time styling things (e.g. Paso) didn’t result in a bad-looking bike, just maybe an odd one. Now, we’ve got this – oddly proportioned, oddly porky even. It’s weird, and that’s KTM’s job FFS.
At one point Ducati had perfectly-balanced styling NAILED. And even occasional somewhat-odd and/or worked-at-the-time styling things (e.g. Paso) didn’t result in a bad-looking bike, must maybe an odd one. Now, we’ve got this – oddly proportioned, oddly porky even. It’s weird, and that’s KTM’s job FFS.
I don’t know what the Italian word for AWESOME is, but there must be a picture of a Ducati in the dictionary next to it.
As for the smaller front wheel I am guessing that the design will help it make the twisty mountain roads to the crest more inviting. Calling it Pikes Peak sets a high aspirations for that run. Better yet, they been there and done that.
Should make a dandy run-about, and last a long time. I miss the singles though, skinny tires and rusty case bolts.
The V4 Multistrada is an incredible bike. This one will be super fun to ride.
It’s too expensive though. Also, not very attractive.
I didn’t think they could make the Multi look more ugly, but they’ve actually managed it with the smaller front wheel. The best-looking adventure-sport bike they made was the HyperStrada, which is elegant and balanced, and goes like stink with just 821cc too. I’m glad I’ve got one of them!
Nick
Me too!!!!
Old sport bike sales plummet. New adventure-sport bike sales exploding. Why? Because today’s bikers need comfort while leaning too far, too fast.
Re bike sales of this type “exploding”? Anybody know what kind of numbers they’re doing in the premium Adventure-sport category?
Radar front and back?
Basically they’re forcing you to buy the extended warranty! Otherwise nice bike except for the Sesame Street Bird beak.😉
You always have choices –